Today in Tech

While we continue to see ‘meh’ reactions to products like Apple’s Vision Pro headset and Meta continues to struggle with its Oculus headsets, there is still a feeling that spatial computing will be with us in the future. Deloitte Consulting takes a futuristic look at the ups, downs and everything in between of the technology – not through a list of charts and graphs, but through the use of speculative fiction and “What If?” types of stories. Mike Bechtel, chief futurist and managing director at Deloitte, joins the show to discuss this world of 2030 and how different spatial technology will have both positive and negative impacts on the world we live in.

The U.S. attempting to ban TikTok goes beyond just stopping a social media app that shows funny dance videos or makeup tips. Experts in national intelligence say it’s about stopping a foreign state (China) from waging information warfare against the U.S. and protecting citizens from propaganda campaigns. Keith chats with Craig Albert, Ph.D., from Augusta University about the dangers of TikTok, as well as how foreign nations and other cyberhacker groups utilize social media to subtly (and not-so-subtly) influence the opinions of American citizens.

The Recording Industry Association of America and big music groups sue some artificial intelligence companies over the use of copyrighted materials in training data sets, the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between content holders and AI startups. Also, is Amazon late to the AI party with a potential ChatGPT competitor? Analyst Jack Gold joins the show as guest co-host this week to discuss the latest technology news with Keith.

Today’s technology leaders and entrepreneurs are completely different from the tech giants that created and dominated Silicon Valley over the past 20 to 30 years. The next generation of technology leaders will need even different skills from today’s bigwigs. Keith chats with Robert Eric Siegel, a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a venture partner at Piva, about how tech leadership is evolving.

In the news these days: The U.S. Surgeon General declares that social media is creating a mental health crisis for adolescents, and is looking to Congress to put warning labels on apps; AI continues to have its ups and downs – ChatGPT passes the Turing Test, but AI technology gets dumped at the McDonald’s drive-through. Computerworld contributing columnist Mike Elgan joins the crew as guest co-host to discuss these and other technology news stories from the past few weeks.

For years, there existed a church and state separation between the world of video games and business training. Even concepts of ‘gamification’ haven’t much moved the needle when it comes to figuring out new ways to train people beyond papers, lectures and presentations. But with better technology now available, businesses can create “games” that will offer better training and education for workers. Keith Shaw chats with Sam Glassenberg, CEO of medical games company Level Ex, about what is causing this shift in the market.

Apple finally enters the artificial intelligence space with its ‘personal intelligence’ tools – what does this mean for the market, competitors and, most importantly, users of Apple products? Will consumers who have been saying mostly ‘meh’ to AI now start using the tools? Computerworld’s Ken Mingis and Macworld’s Mike Simon join the show to discuss Apple’s AI announcements from WWDC 24, including what features they like best from the Apple Intelligence package.

Nvidia becomes a $3T company based on its latest AI chips (with Intel and AMD also in the game), leading the AI hype machine to go into overdrive. But at the same time, some are suggesting that the bubble is about to burst, and that AI investments may not pan out as users feel less enthusiastic. Computerworld contributing columnist and author Mike Elgan joins the show to discuss these and other technology news items from the past week.

While the technology job market remains vibrant and strong for many workers, people over the age of 50 are finding it more difficult to get a new job, or navigate past the layers of hiring with the institution of new AI screening tools. Keith talks with Christina Matz, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Boston Collee School of Social Work and director of the Center on Aging & Work, about why age discrimination still exists within much of the corporate world, including in the tech sector.

Between having an AI tool that recommends crazy suggestions like putting glue on pizza and a “leak” around how its search engine works, Google is facing lots of criticism about its technology and operations. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show this week to talk with the crew about Google’s issues, why general consumers are saying ‘meh’ to AI tools, and why the American worker is lonelier at work than ever before.